Ice and Azure, Snow and Croissants
by itsawitch
Summary: No one would people think that a CEO of a major company would risk ruining his suit just to walk outside in the snow. No one would think that a young dancer would be so clumsy as to run into that CEO. But they did, and that, is how this story begins.
1. Oh Boy, Snow

Hey guys, I know it's been a while, just rewrote this first chapter, ugh, it took almost 3 hours!! Anyway, I'll be updating a lot more now that it's Spring Break, so most of my old stories should be reposted and rewritten by the end of this week.

Disclaimer: I own nothing ; ;

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The park in the middle of a huge city is a nice thing to hang around in. You can hear people giggling and couples talking, little kids jumping and playing around. In winter, it's all the same, except for there's snow, it's colder, and the time you spend hopping dancing and singing around is slightly shorter. But all in all, it's still a fanatical sight, and very, very, breathtaking.

How ever, there are a few people who hate the snow, and loathe everything about it. They would complain it's wet, makes weird noises, and is very cold. These people tend to be colder than the snow around them, but who cares?

How ever, two people from these two groups can have a lot in common. A lot to talk about, argue about, and have fun around each other. And these people have an odd way of meeting one another. Usually by accident, which my friends, is how this story begins…

For it seems love works in mysterious ways. No one would think the owner of a famous company would come out to walk in the snow. No one would ever think a beautiful dancer would skip her dance lessons to look at tiny ice crystals. But they did.

* * *

Seto groaned, his cell phone kept ringing that stupid Nokia tune. (Don't own that) The urge to throw the cell phone into the snow and leave it there forever, or perhaps take it home and burn it in some, ritualistic way, was over whelming. But then again he had agreed to Mokuba to live a little _Evil child.. _

Exactly _how_ this phone was supposed to help him live at all was beyond him. It felt like every time he turned around, or in this case, took a step, the annoying jingle would come from his jacket pocket, reminding him that, hey, the business couldn't run without him. And thus it seemed that, no matter where he went, he was as trapped by work as he had been while in the office.

His thought of self loathing, ritualistic killings, and the future groundings of his little brother, however, were cut short, as a dead weight ran into him. And, while the sidewalk was rushing towards his face, he couldn't help but find the entire situation a bit funny. For, no matter how annoying it was going to be to dry clean his clothes once they were soaked with snow, it would be worth it, as he shifted his hands, using his phone to break his fall.

* * *

Anzu, on the other hand, _had_ been enjoying herself. Running around in the newly fallen snow felt new to her. And as the snow gave that _very_ satisfying crunch underneath her boots, only one thought seemed to run through her mind. _I've done this so many times, but it's always refreshing. _

And the she was forced to think about how ridiculous she was for being so utterly elated. Her parents were on vacation _without_ her, and Yugi was away with the gang, on a week-long cruise. While now, her only thoughts were loathing towards herself as she skipped along the snow-covered sidewalk, her decision had felt like a perfectly good idea to her at the time. Of course, her thoughts at the time had been slightly defiant, for her parents had yet to announce their vacation. Who, in their right mind, would go on a cruise with their friends, instead of staying home, with her family, during Christmas?

As Anzu continued to walk along the sidewalk, the fact that the walk was covered in ice, covered in a light layer of snow, never crossed her mind until she saw someone in front of her, and made her stop a little too quickly.

A small bit of panic struck through her chest as her feet slipped out from under her. Not wanting to land on her back, and possibly crack her head, she lurched forward, and her forehead hit the back of the figure in front of her. "Oof!" A short cry was made from the person, as they both headed towards the ground.

A rather dark thought ran through the young billionaire by the time he realized who had run into him. _Oh great, idiots and evil brothers today, my life is perfect_. Among the small chuckles from those waking by, the only thing he could hear was that annoying voice, repeating "Oh my God, I'm so sorry," over and over again. His hand twitched as he wondered whether or not to shove what was left of his phone down her throat, when the rather morbid thought was halted by the unending gaze that she was giving him.

Seeming to freeze in some Sci-Fi time-lapse, deep blue orbs looked into icy eyes that would have put the snow to shame, had it been blue. But it wasn't. The cold of the snow seeping into her jeans was lost for a moment, as she pondered this predicament. _Since when does the CEO of Kaiba Industries go outside? Isn't he.. A workaholic?_

Seto raised a ticked-off eyebrow, feeling slightly under pressure under her gaze. "Yes Mazaki?" A feeling of egotistical standards ran through him as Anzu winced at the icy tone. Not the least bit feeling bad as she stood up, embarrassed. "Watch where you're going, annoying little cheerleader." He muttered the last few words, but his expression got the point across nicely as she bowed and stuttered an apology, before running off.

* * *

Coming back home the young dancer turned on the radio. Because one of her least favorite songs to dance to was on she changed the station. A sparkling melody streamed out of the speakers, and she counted out a few steps, mouthing out a "Five, six, seven, eight," before letting herself begin to dance to the music.

The soft instruments played with the air, making her usually quick movements settle as the music seemed to settle into a monotonous pace. She hit a button of the radio with her toe, patiently finding a new song, one she knew to be more upbeat, and let her body fall into a different rhythm.

Anzu's breathe felt caught in her throat as a beautiful voice sang over the instruments of the song. Her movements didn't quite fit the feeling as she continued to dance. Her movements changed once again, and she shifted from one dance to the other, none fitting quite the way it needed to.

One step too far, one flick of her hands too slow. She growled as the feeling frustration completely tore at her. Her parents weren't home so she allowed herself to scream at the feeling that had developed in her throat. Unbeknownst to her, she began to dance in a different way than she usually did, much more fluid than her normally sharp movements allowed. One of her movements sparked the memory of the past few hours.

She saw the walk in the park flash through her mind as once again the song became calm, turning from it's chorus, down into a softer verse. Her body idled in small movements, and she allowed herself to relive that moment, for reasons she didn't care to think about.

She felt that moment when she slid into Kaiba, falling into the unforgiving, and, now that she thought of it, wet snow, and an uncomfortable feeling ran through and shocked her thoughts clear. Her chest felt tight, and she unconsciously bent over backwards, trying to stretch her abdomen out.

She remembered the almost hateful gaze he had when he looked upon her, and the tightening in her chest became akin to pain. And, whether in emotional or physical pain, a tear fell down, staining her face and clouding her vision and movements. Stumbling forward a bit, she grabbed a tissue and blew her nose, folding it up and dotting around her eyes. Her hips began to sway with the music, and she sighed, losing herself in the melody of the song, and into the rhythm of her movements.

* * *

Seto, had gone back to work, the walk in the park was all the 'living up' he needed for the day. So what if he was dripping wet from the snow, and he was freezing, he was still going to work. All of his workers could go roll out in the snow for all he cared. Why did they get to be dry?

His cell phone rang again and he looked at his phone in amazement. No, no, there was _no_ was it could've survived the fall. And for a second or two, he scanned the phone, trying to figure out how to answer the phone.

Feeling a slight uplifting of his cold, dripping wet ego when he found the small green button, he clicked it, and held it sort-of close to his ear, slightly wondering how the speaker had been effected, had it been effected at all.

"Hello..?" Slightly miffed that his voice sounded even the least shaken, he was taken aback by the voice at the other end, "I Quit!" A dial tone followed the statement, and for a second, he stood, in the middle of a street mind you, for Seto Kaiba doesn't simply stop when he gets to the sidewalk, fuming over the fact that a person had hung up on him!

Then another spark of anger rose through him as he began to comprehend the voice. _Mokuba… _Finally crossing the street, he fumed as he walked the last few blocks to his house. Of _course _that had been Mokuba's babysitter. And, somehow, the little bundle of so-called joy had driven the woman to near insanity while he'd been gone. And, the little boy had managed to do this, in the less than half-hour he'd been gone.

By the time he reached the mansion, the babysitter was just getting into her car and driving away. Fuming he swung the doors open, and was greeted by a loud blasting of music, so loud that at first, he thought he'd stepped into a rock concert.

"MOKUBAAAA!!"

Somehow, his little brother heard him over the blasting, and the music went down until it was a barely heard melody that roamed throughout the hallways. He reached it, the living room in this monster of a house, and pitched forward until he collapsed upon his favorite chair, right next to the wonderful, God-given heater.

He was understandably hesitant to get up and work into his office, and the ever-ringing phone in his pocket only deepened the feeling. He fished the phone out of the black slacks, tossing it from hand to hand for a few seconds, before throwing it in the fireplace. He let his head fall back, and felt himself rest farther down into the chair, as the last few lines of the lyrics filtered through the multiple speakers in the house.

* * *

Our little dancer began to slow as she heard the song slow, to the point where dancing became inappropriate, for she couldn't dance to the sorrow of the last few lines.

Still lost in the music, her eyes drifted closed, and the only thing she could truly do was sway slightly, her lips mouthing out the words.

The last few chords slowed to a stop and her body froze. Her body opposing the feeling of slipping from the comfort of dancing to the reality of life. Seto, on the other hand, was slipping from the edges of reality as he began to doze off in his chair, his head falling back.

In his dream, he remembered the walk on the cold, slippery concrete, the weight and warmth that had hit him on the way towards the fountain. The look in the young woman's eyes when her gaze had met his. How her voice shook with shyness as she apologized to him, and the coldness of the snow underneath them. How her cheeks flushed, at first from the cold, but then with anger as he'd dismissed her. Her stiff movements as she'd walked away.

It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. When he was angry, things that he hadn't truly noticed would come back to him in magnification. Things like this helped when he was asked or confronted about such things, and it always helped to know exactly what happened after an argument. And, altogether, like most thing, the dream of the pretty brunette was forgotten as the dream shifted to just him and Mokuba, watching and talking about the stars.

* * *

The next day there was nothing to really do. Winter break was still in full effect, and little kids were running around in their yards, building snowmen, and breaking through the thin air with their high-pitched laughter.

Anzu stepped up to her bedroom window, drawing lazy patterns in the thin layer of frost and condensation. The ice, made her head hurt, for it reminded her of things, like cold, like loneliness, like Seto.

"Arrg! Why is he still in my mind?" She growled at the walls, for, by some act of house-building construction, it was all their fault. They stared back at her, showing no emotion, which, of course, they wouldn't. They were walls. But all that this dancer of ours could think about was the unemotional Seto Kaiba.

Cursing her evil, traitorous house, she began to pull a sweater, some jeans, and fuzzy socks from her closet and dresser. _Evil house. I'm not going to stay here with these walls. I'm going out. _Quickly, Anzu stepped into her shoes and jacket, and into the cold, winter air.

All of a sudden, the young woman found herself atop a large stairway, that led to the mansion. And not just any mansion, mind you, but the formidable Kaiba mansion. And by formidable, I mean that it towered over her like a drunken member of a biker gang. _What am I doing here? _

To tell the truth, she had no idea. Her body had been in complete autopilot during the whole walk. In fact, she didn't even remember crossing the busy street and intersection that separated her neighborhood from the mansions. Whoops.

_What do I do, what do I do? _Unbeknownst to her, she lifted her finger and, a second too late, realized that her body was still on whatever autopilot she had. Her finger pushed on the doorbell, and for a second, she stood in shock of the chimes that went off. Almost immediately, the door opened, and she was blasted with warm air, looking down to see the confused little ten year old looking back up at her.

Mokuba's ears had perked, and he'd jumped up when the doorbell rang. He rushed over to the door and opened it, wanting to see who was on the other side, while searching his memory, trying to remember if his brother had invited anyone over. A stunned, blond maid stood behind him, a bit dazed that he had gotten there before her.

A pair of blue eyes met his. "Anzu?" For half a second, they simply stared at each other, before Anzu broke into a brilliant smile. "Mokuba! I haven't seen you in a while!" The child's eyes widened and he crushed her into a hug. Anzu giggled softly and returned it, ruffling up his hair.

"Hey, how about we go out for hot chocolate and some yummy croissants, my treat!" Anzu smiled brightly at the Kaiba brother, awaiting his response, "Yeah!" Anzu held an arm out to keep the excited and energized body of the Kaiba from running out the door and past her. And, being the energetic and excited little boy he was, he ran into her arms before he completely saw it.

"Don't you need to ask your brother first?"

"Mazaki is right Mokuba," an icy voice murmured from behind the maid, and long fingers rested on the boy's shoulder. Icy met azure. Anzu stiffened and her eyes widened. For a second, she couldn't breathe.

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*smiles* How did you like it? Review please!!


	2. Ambush

Disclaimer - I own nothing, not even the computer I'm working on. *sniffle*

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Anzu stared, dumbfounded, for several seconds, her head slightly tilted up, for the elder Kaiba was much taller than she was. A warm feeling flittered across her cheeks, and in a moment of insight, she realized she was blushing. _Oh! How embarrassing!_

Seto looked down at her, blue eyes cold and unforgiving, not even stepping aside to let her inside from the cold. _This is for pushing me in the snow_. He looked down at his jumping-in-place little brother, and wanted to roll his eyes. Feigning the meanest look he could towards his smaller brother, "Remember what I told you, Mokuba?"

Mokuba looked down, ashamed, and turned towards the young woman, still waiting outside, "I'm sorry Anzu, I'm grounded." Pouting, he gave the best puppy-face he could manage, and wanted to grin and jump when he saw the spark of understanding reach her eyes.

Anzu shifted her feet slightly, adjusting her pose to give the appearance of a formidable force, and spoke in a voice completely opposite of her body language, "Seto.." she murmured softly, flashing a quick smile to the little Kaiba in front of her.

He turned around, his face turning from a look of complete boredom to a look of guarded caution. Anzu smiled disarmingly, and raised a shy hand up to her lips, resting one of her knuckles on her bottom lip, "Would you let him come with me, if you come as well?"

He glared menacingly, nearly scoffing as he began to turn back around, "I have better things to do with my time, Mizaki." He made it maybe two more steps before his feeling of elated victory was broken down by two arms wrapping around his leg. He looked down to see the wide eyes of his little brother, seeing his puppy face.

"Oh come on Seto, its just croissants!" Mokuba whined, and the statement was echoed by the dancer, who was still standing at the door.

He mentally groaned. He could ignore the look, he could ignore the little munchkin attached on his leg, but his little brother had a habit of sulking. And a little, sulking brother, with no babysitter mind you, would be a pain in the ass. This little boy may look innocent, but only Seto knew how he could hold a grudge the size of Asia. Not that he ever had to, Mokuba had a habit of getting things his way.

Seto glanced at Anzu and flinched a tiny molecule. She was doing a good job at keeping her facial features in check, but one corner was beginning to lift traitorously, giving her the ghost of an evil smirk on her lips.

_This is unfair.. _Seto snuck a glance at his little brother, and felt whatever willpower had been left, crumpled. "Will you please go get yummy pasteries with us?" the little Kaiba pleaded, in such a kitten-like voice, that not even a demon would be able to say no.

_Damn, _was Kaiba's only thought as he gave a reluctant, "Fine," and the littlest one jumped off him and ambled up the stairs to get his coat. He gave a glare to the woman on his doorstep, who was now doubled over and shaking, in an attempt to keep from laughing too hard. _It would be such a shame if she died from laughing too hard._

Seto sighed, his shoulders slumping in something akin to defeat. He reached up for a heavy coat, something to keep him warm, you know, just in case someone rammed into him and he went plowing into the snow.

* * *

Mokuba and Anzu conversed and giggled all the way to the small French pastery shop, named St. Rodger's Abbey. It was a quaint shop, run by French nuns, who, according to Anzu, made the _perfect _chocolate croissants. _As if Mokuba needs any sugar, damn ball of sunshine. _Seto kicked a bit of snow, and heard Anzu and his little brother squeal as the snow was caught by the wind, and hit them.

"So Mokuba, have you gotten any girlfriends lately? Any special girl I should know about?" Anzu giggles as she teased the young boy walking next to her, running her hand through her hair, getting rid of the snow caught in the brunette strands. Mokuba blushed and stuttered, wringing his hands together, no doubt in her mind that he was thinking of a special someone, probably at school, "N-n-n-no.." the small boy murmured softly.

She laughed at the reply, the sounds of enjoyment seeming to ring in the thin, winter air. Several people walking along the sidewalk looked up to smile at her as she ruffled Mokuba's hair. That is, all except Seto.

"Oh look Anzu! There it is!" Mokuba dramatically pointed towards the small shop and took off running towards the store, leaving Anzu and Seto behind, shielding their faces to avoid the clouds of snow coming their way. Anzu laughed again, a faint pink blush spread over her cheeks as she ran after Mokuba.

Seto stood there. This had to be the third time today, that he had no idea what to do. He could either follow after the two, or turn around and walk home. Decisions, decisions. The Mizaki girl would probably bring Mokuba home, who would just be happy that he had gotten away from the house, even while grounded. However, the most desirable action, going home, was halted as Mokuba's voice rang through and shattered his hopes, "Come on, Seto!"

Groaning, he placed both of his hands into his coat pockets and walked, as enthusiastic as a person being welcomed to the gallows, after the two laughing their heads off. Frustrated, he kicked the snow again, just in time for a short blast of wind, getting him a face full of snow.

Anzu closed her eyes as the warm air of the parlor shot out at her and blew tendrils of chestnut hair flying from her face. She probably would've skipped around, had open space not been crowded by at least five tables. The shop was empty except for a few nuns, murmuring softly in French. They looked up, greeting her in heavily accented Japanese, and got up, walking around the corner to take her order.

Mokuba had his face pressed against the glass before the multiple different croissants, muffins, slices of banana bread, and some things he just didn't quite know the name of. _Oh my God, that one looks delicious. Oh no! So does that one! Ah! I can't choose, the choice is too difficult!! _were the only thoughts the young boy was currently capable of.

Anzu brought a few fingers to cover her mouth up and giggled at the sight. The little boy was grinning as if he were in heaven. She practically bounced over to him to look at the pasteries herself. It was around then when the oldest Kaiba walked in through the glass doors, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. The ringing of the bells seemed to be the only thing that gave a sign to his presence, for he practically glided over the floor quickly as though to avoid being seen, trying to sit down in a chair and, you know, cover up his face with a newspaper.

"Hey, big brother! What're you dooooooooin'? We can't play hide-and-go-seek in here, silly!" Mokuba yelled, blowing his cover, "What kind of croissant do you want? Or do you want a muffin? They have all types of muffins. Oh! This one had cinnamon on it. Hm.. Maybe I should get that one.." The boy's chipper voice ran off and went down to only mumbling, as he continued to look at the yum-yums.

Seto bit back the reflex to snap back an insult, or at least, some very choice words, and attempted to substitute it with a forced, "I don't want anything to eat Mokuba." He winced, it sounded evil to even his ears. He rolled his eyes when Anzu turned to glare at him, and then looked over at the boy, about to apologize.

Mokuba shrugged not caring, a habit he had indeed picked up from his brother, and spun around to Anzu. "What do you want Anzu?" he asked. Anzu turned her head down to look at the Kaiba with her azure ocean eyes. At first, there was nothing but amusement in the blue depths, but Seto could see it when something suddenly clicked. A slow grin covered her face, giving her the mischievous look that would look awkward on any other face. "Well how about this?" Anzu leaned forward and whispered to Mokuba a few words before Mokuba's face lit up like a candle.

He could only pick up a few random words, but one of them was his name, and a shudder of fear went through him.

Mokuba slowly turned towards Seto, a grin on his face. "Seto!" he whined, "I need help getting the right yum-yum!" Seto looked coldly down at his brother, cautious, but Mokuba kept his cool. _Seems he's learned a bit more than I wanted him to from those acting classes.._ "C'mon! I need help!" he whimpered again, his tone slightly off with excitement. Seto resisted the urge to glare at the kid and kick him through his coat. Oh the sweet urge.

Anzu slipped away from the two brothers, walking towards the ladies bathroom. Leaning on the wall just before the door she waited as Mokuba dragged the resistant Seto behind him, before Mokuba once again pressed his face to the glass, pointing and conversing while Seto answered with grunts and not-so-subtle hints that he wanted to leave.

"Hey Seto, which one do you want?" The question was abnormally loud as Mokuba looked at his glaring brother and shot a 100-watt smile at him. Seto nearly winced and his hands twitched, about to cover his eyes, "I don't want anything," he snapped. Mokuba looked up, about to protest, when he stopped, and looked towards a corner of the shop, right next to the women's bathroom. He noticed some movement to his left and snapped his head towards to movement.

It was Anzu. A second too late, he realized he'd been captured. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Suddenly everything made sense. How Anzu had slipped away just when Mokuba needed help, the slightly off tone of his little brother's words, and of course, the rather loud, "Which one do you want?" It must've been the password, or something of the like.

Slightly lost in his thoughts, he was taken aback when her hands rested on his shoulders, and he felt her torso lean forward, pressing herself onto his back. Slightly uncomfortable, and incredibly overbearing. Just the kind of thing that would make the CEO, want to order a French pastery, just to get her off of him.

"I'd like a butter croissant," he muttered to the nun standing behind the register. He wasn't blind to how Mokuba and Anzu grinned at each other, beaming as though they had just won the lottery. Jerks.

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*coughs* Did you enjoy it? Is the storyline easy to follow? Questions? Concerns? Leave a review!


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